I’m not in the habit of advertising for a company so blatantly, but I’m really taken with this Burning Shed postcard that came with the Steve Hackett release, THE NIGHT SIREN. Beautiful art.
Author: bradbirzer
By day, I'm a father of seven and husband of one. By night, I'm an author, a biographer, and a prog rocker. Interests: Rush, progressive rock, cultural criticisms, the Rocky Mountains, individual liberty, history, hiking, and science fiction.
Traveller: Agent of the Imperium (Book and RPG)
Yes, I know this is a site dedicated to the beauty of music in all its forms. But, I also know that, like most music fans, I’m interested in a whole variety of things, especially if they’re done with excellence. My love of prog has always coincided with my love of science fiction. After all, whatever Ray Bradbury wrote, Roger Dean drew. Well, not exactly, but close enough.
How many hours did I stare at the world imagined on the gatefold of YESSONGS or ELO’s OUT OF THE BLUE? Too many to count.
Anyway, I’m guessing there are a number of other sci-fi/prog fans out there as well.
Back in 1980, I first got involved (obsessed would be more accurate) in RPGs. I started (and continued) with Dungeons and Dragons, but I also really got into Traveller. I still proudly have my Traveller GDW 301 Box, complete with the original booklets 1-5 as well as two adventures. All purchased before 90125 ever came out! Recently, I upgraded to Traveller 5–now, for better or worse, on CD-ROM. Not as attractive, perhaps, but still very nice.
The point of this post, however, is this. If you like sci-fi at all, make sure you pick up a copy of AGENT OF THE IMPERIUM, a novel by the founder of Traveller, Marc Miller. I found it not only engaging, but I also found it one of the most inventive science-fiction novels I’ve read in a long time. I have no idea if Miller is a progger, but, as I thoroughly enjoyed his novel, I couldn’t help but think of “Starship Trooper” and a number of other prog classics.
PROGOTRONICS 2 Sampler
Prog Sphere Promotions Releases “Progotronics 2” Digital Sampler; Available from Bandcamp
Prog Sphere Promotions has recently released the second edition in their Progotronics compilation series. The sampler is available from Bandcamp here.
Progotronics 2 includes 16 songs, one more than the Progotronics 1 compilation which was released back in February. The previous sampler was more focused on the Progressive Metal genre with a few exceptions. On Progotronics 2 Progressive Metal is naturally present, but the new compilation is more diverse stylistically, with songs ranging from Psychedelic / Progressive Rock, Post-Rock, RPI to Jazz Fusion. We are sure that everyone will find something interesting, and discover something new and to your taste.
My 49 Favorite Pop Albums
Though I’ve been a prog rock guy as far back as memory allows, I’m always open to fine, angular, and clever pop. When pop is done well, count me in as a huge fan. If I begin to list favorite prog albums—say a favorite 50 or 100 list—my mind starts to get a bit foggy, and my opinion changes, day by day, and, for better or worse, hour by hour. Not necessarily the top 10, but everything else begins to swirl and maneuver, position by position, place by place.
When it comes to my favorite pop (broadly defined, I suppose) albums, though, I can readily list them and, amazingly enough, in chronological order. I assume this is because my mind isn’t as full of pop as it is prog.
MVDnEWS: Max’s Kansas City
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Max’s Kansas City: 1976 & Beyond
coming to CD ad Vinyl on May 5th via Jungle Records
The original Max’s Kansas City 1976 pioneering punk club album,
extended with an extra 30 tracks and historical notes
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Max’s Kansas City is the legendary New York City nightclub that became the focal point for the city’s hip artistic community from the late 60’s until the early 80’s. In its initial period, it was famously often populated by Andy Warhol’s Factory crowd, and played host to new artists such as the Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, the Stooges, Bruce Springsteen and countless others. It became a base for jet-setters, glam rockers and celebs, until the scene faded and it shut its doors at the end of 1974.
Reopened in 1975 under new management, Peter Crowley was hired as music director. The new young bands he booked helped spawn, in tandem with CBGBs, the New York City punk scene. In 1976 Peter compiled a studio album of acts associated with the club, Max’s Kansas City 1976, to help promote the club. It featured the first released recordings of Suicide, The Fast and Warhol-era veteran Wayne County, whose title-track gave a roll-call of many of the famous acts who’d regularly performed there.
Now the original album is reissued as Max’s Kansas City 1976 & Beyond, greatly extended to 40 tracks on a double-CD and a selection of 25 tracks on a double-LP. As well as the aforementioned Suicide, Fast and Wayne County, the new extended album features the New York Dolls, the Stillettos, the Offs, the Senders, Philip Rambow, VON LMO, Iggy Pop, Knots, Roland Alphonso, Cherry Vanilla, Nico, Joy Ryder, Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers and Sid Vicious amongst many others. It includes many previously unreleased tracks and rarities. Compiled by Peter Crowley, who also contributes notes detailing the history of the album. Writer, musician and Max’s scenester Jimi LaLumia provides historical overview sleeve-notes along with biographies of the artists in a 20-page booklet.
Jimi LaLumia writes: “Max’s Kansas City 1976 as an expanded edition two record vinyl and double CD collection, celebrates the historic first compilation of recordings by bands that were making big noise in New York City, and, thanks to a hyper active UK music press, around the world in a pre internet, truly underground manner. Melody Maker, a British music weekly, was especially keen on the post Velvet Underground / New York Dolls / Alice Cooper / Iggy & The Stooges scene that was inspiring the most unusual creatures to want to be in bands.
The Max’s album was my go to album for months; finally, tracks from Wayne County, Cherry Vanilla, and The Fast… Not to mention Suicide and Pere Ubu. I got introduced to Harry Toledo and the John Collins band: I won’t go into all the details here, because I wrote extensive detailed liner notes for the Jungle Records UK re issue coming in May, with additional notes from Peter Crowley, which are worth the price of the album, not to mention all the added extra tracks, so I’ll simply say that if you think you know everything about the late 70’s downtown scene, some additional reading material and bonus tracks are headed your way.”
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Happy Birthday, Tad!
To one of the finest men I know. . . and a truly great progarchist! Happy birthday, Tad!
To enjoy all of Tad’s posts, click here.
Damian Wilson News
I’m not privy as to the reasons why this happened, of course, but it makes me terribly sad.
It doesn’t get much better than Wilson-fronted Threshold in this world of sorrows.
Threshold’s last three albums (2 studio and 1 live) have been some of the best in rock history, frankly.
DEPARTURE FROM THRESHOLD
Damian Wilson’s statement regarding the departure from Threshold:
Unfortunately this is not a mutual decision, but I respect it. After I had recorded the album and committed to the tour I was informed that Threshold were going to continue on without me. They have every right to make this choice, although it is difficult to part ways with a group of people you’ve shared so many experiences with.
I really enjoyed the past decade recording and touring with Threshold and wish them all the best for the future, with the hope we might work again on projects somewhere down the line.
The label Nuclear Blast are amazing, and with the wonderful support of the fan base the whole journey of being the frontman for Threshold has been fantastic.
This Strange Engine: Happy 20th, Marillion!
Twenty years ago, this month, Marillion released its album, THIS STRANGE ENGINE. It should be remembered that this is the fifth album to feature the voice and lyrics of Steve Hogarth. As such, reviewers still (not that the debate has eneded, even in 2017) had to compare the Marillion of Fish to the Marillion of Hogarth. While THIS STRANGE ENGINE earned its just share of good reviews, it also had reviewers crying that while Fish had innovated, Hogarth rested. AllMusic went so far as to label THE STRANGE ENGINE “ordinary.”
If only.
Granted, Marillion had just come off two of its most powerful and unrelentingly intense albums–BRAVE and AFRAID OF SUNLIGHT–but this should not lessen the power of THIS STRANGE ENGINE. Rather, it should add context.
Continue reading “This Strange Engine: Happy 20th, Marillion!”
STARDUST 20 Years Later: The Flower Kings
The Flower Kings, STARDUST WE ARE (Insideout Music, 1997). Two disks, 20 tracks.
Every once in a while, I see some progger comment on the internet, “I don’t get The Flower Kings,” to which I always want to yell: “What’s not to get? Hippie prog love and lots and lots of it.”
Admittedly, I’m a huge fanboy when it comes to Roine Stolt and The Flower Kings. I’ve listened to them so much over the past two decades that there’s no way I could ever be objective when analyzing the band or its music. To me, every album by The Flower Kings is a small but mighty celebration of the goodness in the world. Each album represents a mood, a state of mind, a sense of being.
Continue reading “STARDUST 20 Years Later: The Flower Kings”
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